George Yang opened his third Valley restaurant, at 6048 N. 16th St. in the Tangelo Village Shopping Center. It replaces the former Golden Phoenix Restaurant, which closed earlier this year.
Yang has been a Valley restaurateur for over 40 years, known for Szechuan Inn (1970s), and Sesame Inn (1980s).
When Yang moved to Phoenix to attend Thunderbird School of Management in the 1970s, he got a job as a bus boy instead of a server at the Golden Phoenix Restaurant because he was not able to write Chinese characters. This was a requirement because all the chefs could only read Chinese. Yang taught the chefs English acronyms for each of the menu items, such as MB for Mongolian Beef, and KPC for Kung Pao Chicken. Afterward, the restaurant started hiring English-speaking servers.
Yang has now come full circle, returning to the former location of Golden Phoenix Restaurant, which is still owned by George C. Tang and his family. Yang has created a menu that reflects authentic Chinese flavors with subtle variations that incorporate those of his homeland, Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, and Vietnam. And you will find an extensive wine list from California, Oregon, Australia, Italy and Chile.
George Yang’s Chinese Cuisine is far from your typical Chinese restaurant. See for yourself during the restaurant’s regular hours of 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., daily. For more information, call 602-368-2688 or visit http://georgeandsonsasiancuisine.com.
The restaurant is owned by George Yang or George Tang or is it a typo? Good story though. Can’t wait to check it out.
Clarification: the space/building is owned by George C. Tang and is being leased by George Yang for his restaurant. It can be a bit confusing, with the names being so similar!